About “14 Years”

As one of the few Guns N’ Roses songs sung almost entirely by former rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, “14 Years” was only performed live up until his departure in 1991. The song would later be returned to their set list in 2012 during the few concerts where Stradlin would make a guest appearance.

This song has been hypothesised to be about Stradlin’s friendship with Axl Rose, who he had known for 14 years by the time the song was believed to have been written. While one would assume this as a song to celebrate friendship, the lyrics reflect a deeper, more conflicted history. This theory however, has never been confirmed by the band.